
Ex-Wales boss Page becomes Liverpool U21s head coach
Former Wales manager Rob Page has been appointed as Liverpool's new Under-21s head coach.The 50-year-old led his country to a first World Cup in 64 years in 2022 after guiding them to the second round of Euro 2020, but was sacked in June 2024 by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) after Wales' failure to qualify for Euro 2024.Page, a former Wales captain who won 41 caps, took over the senior Wales men's team after impressing as Wales' U21s coach, while he has also coached at Port Vale and Northampton Town.He now succeeds the long-serving Barry Lewtas at Anfield.
LFC academy director Alex Inglethorpe told the club website: "Rob brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to a key role as young players look to bridge that gap from academy prospect to first-team footballers."His recent achievements in guiding Wales to the last 16 at Euro 2020 before qualifying for the 2022 World Cup speak for themselves."But perhaps less heralded is the work that took place during his time in charge of the national team, which saw numerous pathway players make it into the senior squad."This is something we have seen first-hand at Liverpool with several of our academy players making significant progress on the international stage under Rob's guidance."
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Times
36 minutes ago
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Yet Benfica now had nothing to lose. They had four minutes, plus injury time. When six additional minutes were signalled, it was almost as if drama was ordained. Severe weather in the Charlotte area forced play to be suspended on the 86-minute mark for more than two hours… FEDERICO PARRA/AFP So it came. Nicolás Otamendi's header connected with a cross and clipped the extended arm of Malo Gusto. Natural position when jumping? Yes. The sort that gets given in the Premier League. Never. In Fifa competition: penalty. Vincic did not give it but was summoned by the VAR. The moment he jogged to the sidelines, everyone knew. Ángel Di María waited for Sánchez to commit and just slotted his penalty kick to the left. Welcome back, my friends, to the game that never ends. And we can argue the ridiculousness of the situation, of having a tournament in a part of the United States so prone to electrical storms. We can judge the letter of the law and its many travesties, yet the fact remains that once again Chelsea did not pull clear given every opportunity. Chances were squandered — some by Marc Cucurella, playing an extremely attacking role — good positions wasted. Chelsea should have had this wrapped by half-time, by full-time, and certainly within four hours. Instead they went into extra time level, and up against it — even when Gianluca Prestianni was sent off not just for his foul on Levi Colwill but for the equally nasty reaction that followed. What chaos. For Chelsea had been coasting. Their goal was a thing of beauty, too. Minute 62, Reece James sized up the simplest of passes down the flank and bunged it straight into touch. Minute 64, he gave Chelsea the lead with a free kick full of intelligence and class. That's the thing with the best players. They aren't easily fazed, not easily knocked out of their stride. James had already forgotten that duffed pass when he scored. 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MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS So James whipped in his free kick at the near post, Trubin scrambled unsuccessfully, and the game should have been won. It would have been no more than Chelsea deserved. Ultimately, then, justice was done. As extra time spun out, so Chelsea's man advantage showed. Benfica were carved open, three times in nine minutes. Cole Palmer found Moisés Caicedo in the penalty area and his shot squirmed under Trubin towards the goalline. Otamendi first stopped Nkunku but could do no more as he turned the loose ball into the empty net, from a yard. Minutes later, Pedro Neto was left one on one from the halfway line, and made no mistake. For the fourth Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall did the same. So this was a decent afternoon's work that turned into a good night. An eye-catching performance in parts, much improved on Chelsea's group stage form. They have still not hit the heights achieved by Manchester City but this is a team bedding in. Character-building, too. Get through this lunacy and who knows where it ends. Benfica (4-2-3-1): A Trubin 8 — F Aursnes 6 (T Gouveia 86), A Silva 7, N Otamendi 5, S Dahl 5 — F Luis 6 (G Prestianni 70), L Barreiro 6, O Kokcu 6 (J Veloso 85) — V Pavlidis 6 (A Belotti 70), A Di Maria 7, A Schjelderup 5 (K Akturkoglu 46 6). Booked Kokcu, Luis, Pavlidis, Prestianni, Silva, Gouveia. Sent off Prestianni. Chelsea (4-2-2-2): R Sanchez 6 — R James 8 (M Gusto 80), B Badiashile 5 (T Adarabioyo 69), L Colwill 7 (A Anselmino 118), M Cucurella 7 — M Caicedo 8, R Lavia 6 (T Chalobah 85) — C Palmer 7, E Fernández 6 (K Dewsbury-Hall 81) — P Neto 7, L Delap 7 (C Nkunku 80). Booked M Caicedo. C Palmer.


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